PEOPLE in North Molton now have mobile coverage for the very first time thanks to a £150m Government project.

The minister for the digital economy, Ed Vaizey, announced today (August 2) that more than 200 premises in the North Devon village and surrounding area now have a mobile signal.

This breakthrough was made thanks to the Government’s £150m Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP).

Coverage from the site will cover an area of approximately 30km, extending into the National Park, and provide coverage to more than 30 “not spot” areas where there was previously no coverage for voice calls.

MIP covers the cost of installing the necessary infrastructure to provide the mobile coverage to areas that have no coverage at all.

The four mobile networks – EE, O2, Three, Vodafone – then use the infrastructure to provide mobile coverage to the area. The networks will cover the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.

The infrastructure is rolled-out once suitable sites have been identified, the rights to the sites have been acquired and planning permission obtained.

Digital economy minister Ed Vaizey said: “Mobile coverage can make a real difference to people. It can even be the difference between life and death as people can call the emergency services when they need to.

“It makes it easier to contact friends and family, to run your businesses, it just makes life easier.

“We are taking mobile coverage to our most rural communities to make a real difference to people’s lives.”